This recording is famous the world over. Most audiophiles consider this the greatest live recording ever produced. Its mentioned over and over again in magazines. Proprius is a wonderful company and every single sacd I own from them is awesome.

Not having heard all of the live recordings ever produced I cant really comment and say that this is unequivocally the greatest ever done. But the sound is rather remarkable. And of the live recordings I own it must be the best one.

This is a great recording no doubt about that. Its also a beautiful sacd transfer as well. It shows off the sacd medium really well. The instruments are recoded with full body and at times I was almost tempted to believe it was a studio recording with the live sounds overdubbed. It really is surprising how beautiful the sound is.

This is jazz but its also European jazz from Sweden. Its stylings and manners are a little different than its U.S. counterparts. I am not the only one to comment on this so I dont want to be called a snob. There is something about the music and how its played that hints of European sensibilities. This is neither good nor bad....it just is.

Disc one was very hard for me to get through. The main reason is that I am not all that crazy for vibes............especially if its a lead instrument in virtually every song. There was just to much vibes for me on this 1st disc.

Disc 2 was much better in both sound and playing as the sax was the main instrument. I thought the sound was excellent on disc one but once I pressed play....the sound was even better.more alive and with a fuller rendition of the instruments and music.Very impressive.

Disc 3 seemed to be rehearsals recorded live. Again the sound was good and the playing was much more relaxed and intimate and very enjoyable..

So in parting let me give you my pro's and cons regarding this historic recording.

The Good:

Fantastic 1976 recording that sounds fresh and alive. The sacd transfer is remarkable and beautifully done. I dont think anyone can quibble with this aspect.

The BAD:

tHIS COMES FROM MY OWN PERSONAL PREFERENCES AND MUSIC IS VERY SUBJECTIVE. But some of the music sounds........ ..pedestrian and smaltzy. And the vibes...to much vibes on the first disc drove me nuts. Disc 2 and 3 were much better.

Review by miguelito54 July 10, 2007 (6 of 7 found this review helpful)

Performance: Sonics:

These recordings were made in 1974 with basically a single stereo microphone and sounds superior to most other jazz recordings, live or studio, in my collection. If only sound engineers would return to this simple recording technique - given a good sounding room and a band that balances without much amplification. The discs open the program with ambience noise from the club, the audience chatting in the background, the musicians tuning up, and this natural atmosphere continues over all three discs. The music is modern mainstream, with clear references to Benny Goodman and Lionel Hampton when Arne Domnérus picks up the clarinet. Lars Erstrand may be the greatest living practitioner of the Hampton style on the vibes, but can play in a more modern fashion, too. The drummer is a little too enthusiastic on the fast Latin numbers, as is often the case with European jazz musicians they rush the time and are not really together using these rhythms. Pianist Bengt Hallberg deserves special mention as perfectly fitting into his role here of some type of Swedish Wynton Kelly. Perfect for simulating an evening in the club at home! p.s. at the time of this review (July 10, 2007), jpc sells the box at bargain price!